The Queen and I

Helena is one of Queen Elizabeth I's servants . She has a completely ordinary life, a simple girl working hard and earning her keep for her endlessly long family back at home. Everything has a routine for her and is completely orderly, just how she likes it but when she is accused of a life threatening crime, here whole world turns upside down.

6. Chapter 6

After it had gotten dark, I told Cole that I had rather go up by myself so that nobody would see us, but the truth was, I needed some serious time alone to sort out my thoughts. As I walked up the cobblestone path back from the village to the palace, I felt as if I was in a fairy tale. I had never told anyone the truth about my parents, not even Beth. If anyone ever did ask, I always just said that they had died from the fever. So why did I tell Cole? When I had started to talking, I couldn't seem to stop for the words just kept rolling out of my mouth, one after another. Despite the cold evening, I felt warmer then I had in years. My heart had been lightened and I realized how much misery and sorrow I had kept bottled up inside me. "He hugged me" I thought. For all the things I would have predicted that would happen in my life, this event was so impossible, that the thought had never even crossed my mind. Pulling my shawl a little tighter, I heard the wind whistle past my ears and suddenly I had an eerie feeling that someone or something was watching me. Turning my head back ever so slightly I only saw the deserted pathway and nothing else. "I am alone and vulnerable" I thought. I had heard horror many a horror stories about women in the night and I certainly wasn't about to become the main victim in one. Starting to pick up my pace, my heart was drumming like horse hooves. Finally reaching the palace gates, I looked back once more only to find that I was surrounded by nothing.

"It was my day off and I was just down in the village. I was walking back up the path when I thought I had heard someone behind me, that's all...." I left out all the bits that involved Cole, of course.

"So let me get this straight, it was your day off and you went down into the village without me?" She asked skeptically.

"Uhh.... yes....I mean.... I was just buying some groceries, I didn't want to bore you with that." I stuttered. I was technically telling the truth for Cole and I did buy some groceries.

"Oh really? Well Leena, I have one question for ya."

"What?"

"Where are the groceries?"

I threw myself down on the bed, instantly regretting it, because unlike the Queen's bed, ours were hard and flat. "When did you get so smart?" I muttered.

As she laid down beside me, I lightly slapped her on the leg. "Your not mad then, are you?"

"Well, I think that your absolutely mad, but I'm not angry with ya. He probably does genuinely like ya, I mean, who couldn't?"

"Thanks, Bethie. Oh, by the way, he didn't have any bad thoughts in mind for either of us, he is actually very nice."

"I know, I guess. I was probably being a little up tight...."

"Bethie?"

"What?"

"Do you think that he and I could be different? That he and I could fall in love?"

"All in know is that Love that we cannot have is the one that lasts the longest, hurts the deepest, and feels the strongest."

And with that, we both fell silent.

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I think it was about midnight when I heard the kitchen door creak open and a blast of cold air come in with it. I couldn't sleep for my head was swarming with thoughts so I decided to go downstairs and see who it was. Pulling my rough, tiny blanket around my little shoulders, I crept down the steps, one by one. Peeking my head around the corner of the wall, I saw a head full of midnight black hair that only belonged to one person I knew. Lydia. "What was she doing out at the witching hour?" I knew whatever it was, though, couldn't be good. She walked over to the far right side of the kitchen to the drawers where I couldn't see her so I took one more step down the ancient staircase. As I stepped, though, my blanket found it's way under my foot and I slipped, crashing down the stairs. Whipping her head around, Lydia's eyes were livid as she pointed a massive kitchen knife at my chest.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

"Well I guess I could ask the same!" I snapped back.

"None of your bloody business, you prat!"

I noticed a small collection of coins gleaming brightly out of her hands. She then kicked my hard in the chest just before she whirled around, back outside in a tornado of anger.

Climbing back up to my bedroom, I found that the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. I groaned inwardly. I knew that my lack of sleep would eventually catch up with me but also that bruise that Lydia gave me certainly wouldn't help me shuffle through the day. By the time I had slowly made my way up the stairs, the servants chamber was already in its usual hustle. Throwing my blanket back down on my bed, I gathered my clothing and stripped of my night clothes, getting ready for the day. "Hurry up, child! You certainly don't need any more black dots on your record!" Miss. Tune huffed. Picking up the pace, I threw my shoes on and hurried outside over to the main block of the palace. I was cleaning the Queen's private sitting room today with Lydia. Wednesdays were by far the worst because I was paired up with the crow and after last night, I certainly was looking even less forward to seeing her today. I was so blinded by my thoughts, I bumped straight into someone, again. "God, I gotta get my head out of the clouds before I hit the Queen." I thought just before I stooped down to pick up my scattered cleaning supplies only to be met by those same blue eyes again. "Are you stalking me or something, Sir, because it just so happens that I bump into you EVERY SINGLE TIME!" I laughed.

"Well I was about to ask the same thing." Cole gave me that lovely crooked smile that touched his eyes. Then all of a sudden, he went silent. I closed my eyes and I flinched when I felt his warm, strong hands stroke my face. Again we stood, just like that until a depressed shuffling sound yanked us away from each other so fast, I almost fell backwards. With a "Good Day" Cole walked away quickly. There was instantly a hole of loneliness in my heart yet it only grew bigger when I saw who was watching us.

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Slapping me hard, that old witch screamed "That's it, you little pest! You've taken everything away from me, but you won't take him!" She screamed. Then, she charged towards me, wrapping her arms around my waist, pushing me to the ground.

"What have I ever taken away from you? I've never laid a hand on you and yet you hate me as if I am the devil himself!"

Letting out a hideously high and insane laugh, she widely threw her head back. Then she stared right at me and whispered "To me, you are the devil." Just before she ran away like a black spirit, disappearing into the clouds.